Monster Inside
by Faust VII
Summary: He knew first, then her, then them. And he laughs and laughs, and laughs. I Do Not Own Harry Potter. OneShot.


Theodore Nott sees it first out of the Slytherins. He's pale and shaking as he stumbles into the common room as curfew arrives. He looks wild and scared and _terrified_. It grabs everyone's attention. They all watch, none knowing what to say as the small thin third year trembles and swallows thickly, eyes darting around.

He says nothing and flinches when anyone approaches him. A prefect leads him to his dorm room trying to get him to speak but he presses his lips in a thin line and shakes his head.

After that he flinched every time he heard the name Harry James Potter.

.-.

Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass notice second, within minutes of the other. They had both noted long ago that Theodore Nott flinched whenever he heard Potter's name. They'd also noticed he made himself scarce at the sight of the boy.

They'd also noticed then when ever the other Slytherin's debated in the common room over who would be victorious in the war, Nott never once said he'd ever be against Harry Potter.

At first they thought he was neutral, but then they'd seen the fear when anyone mentioned going against the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

After that they pieced things together. And soon they were just as wary around the boy as Nott. They weren't quite as terrified, but then again they had always been neutral. Nott had once been against Potter, though now he'd rather kill himself first.

So they watched warily.

.-.

Draco, though none know, learned forth. He learned alone in a back hallway, sitting by himself in the silence. He pushed everything from his mind and just _thought_. And then he realized.

He never made any move to show that he knows. He doesn't act wary or terrified. Instead he acts more arrogant, more headstrong as he teases Harry Potter, over and over again, watching.

He watches as all his insults drive the boy into a fake rage and anger. He watches as Potter spits insults back. And he notices that not once does a single thing he say actually get the boy's whole attention except when he mentions the Dark Lord.

He watches as keen green eyes focus on him and examine him the first moment the words leave his mouth.

None notice when every time he says the words 'Dark Lord' he twitches slightly looking for boring green eyes.

.-.

Luna Lovegood never reveals when she knew. She knew of course, the moment she saw him though none know how.

She can see it in him. And she's not scared or wary or terrified or arrogant. She's the same. She makes no note that she knows, she just does. She flits around like before, never changing anything she does with Harry. She doesn't watch her back, or her words, or her stance. She goes on like nothing has changed.

And since she's always known nothing has changed.

She watches him out of the corner of her eyes, watching it swirl inside of him. She watches it dance around his mind and makes the odd comment just to see how sharp his emerald green eyes turn.

She likes what she sees and that's why she doesn't change.

.-.

Unbeknownst to most, Hermione and Ron saw it the moment they saw Harry also. Like with Luna they just knew.

Hermione avoided him for the first while. Afraid. She ran until a troll nearly killed her and the thing that scared her saved her. And then she didn't avoid him anymore.

She stuck to his side and nagged and listened and watched. She nagged him to do work when he got too distracted with more _important_ things. She listened even as he went off onto nonsense. And she watched as he sat silent and still or hurried off to do something.

She ignored his glares and his frowns and his looks. She ignored the small spark of fear that still stirred in her instinctively. She stilled it and continued on with a lecture, noting that green eyes watched her keenly and knowingly.

Ron didn't avoid him at first. Ron stuck to his side like a burr, never letting him close to others. Despite how thick he was he had seen and he knew. He knew. So he stayed close, never letting the boy out of sight. He pushed the others away by acting even thicker and loud. He acted rude and became Harry's first defence by keeping everything away.

When he helped beat a troll he then backed off. Hermione, he knew, also knew. She became attached to Harry and started to control. Ron stepped back to let her in, knowing she wouldn't back down and that she would be the order in their new trio.

They both knew. And they both knew the other was aware. And they both knew Harry knew, but let them alone, amused at them.

So instead of flinching or watching or provoking they guarded.

.-.

Severus Snape knew within a week of seeing the boy. He knew, knew, knew.

And he hated. He hated what he saw in Lily's boy. He hated knowing. James Potter's image was erased from his mind the moment he learned. Then all he could do was scowl and sneer and hate because Lily's little boy was not so normal.

He stalked the boy in the halls, protecting the boy's back because he was still Lily's. He sneered and yelled at the child, hoping for some response other then the automatic childish retorts.

He watched with black eyes and a sneer already half formed.

When Dumbledore said Occlumency lessons Snape begged, actually begged, him to stop that though. Dumbledore held fast and said it had to be done. And Snape feared.

The first lesson was one of pain and suffering. He took one look in the boy's eyes and said he could go. The boy mocked him silently with a slight smile. They both faked lessons for Dumbledore, both knowing the old man didn't _know_.

But Snape also knew others did know. He knew Weasely and Granger did. He saw their looks and saw their intentions. He was silently thankful there was someone actually guarding them from the boy. He didn't understand that they were guarding Harry from everyone not everyone from Harry.

He also knew that Nott knew. He's seen the flinches and the fright. And he knew Zabini and Greengrass knew. He'd seen the looks of caution and the twitches. And he also knew Draco knew. He knew his godson had known for a long time. In ways it made him proud of his snake's observation skills. In another it made him worry because Potter knew they knew.

He did not know that Lovegood knew.

So Snape watched with glittering black eyes, waiting for an actual reaction.

.-.

Remus Lupin figured it when the boy first showed his boggart image. When the Dementor crawled from the trunk and rasped as he headed for Harry, Remus could see the glint in his eye.

At first he'd thought it was nothing, but the more he watched the more he knew. When he finally figured it all out he spent the night drinking himself into a stupor wondering what Lily and James would think of their son. What they would think of him for letting their darling little child turn into this.

He woke up with a hang over, took a sobering potion and sought the boy out. He found Harry in a corridor a little ways away from his own quarters. The boy was lounging against a wall and Remus had the eerie feeling Harry knew he was looking for him.

For the longest moment they had stood there. Then Harry had smirked and walked off. Remus just closed his eyes and _knew_.

He tried to connect with the boy after that but it had never truly worked. When Sirius was proven innocent in his mind Remus backed off knowing Sirius would take up the god-fatherly duties.

He'd watched from a distance as Sirius tried to dot on the boy, never noticing the sharp gleam in emerald eyes. Remus thought it was better that Sirius didn't _know_. He would treat Harry normally like this.

Somewhere he knew Sirius would break if he saw what his godson really was. So he watched and stayed silent as he kept note from a distance.

.-.

Dumbledore learned. He learned, oh he learned. But he learned far too late. He learned as he was falling from a tower to his death. He learned as green eyes watched him with an odd smile of partial amusement.

He learned; and how he wished he had known before. He fell, death approaching swiftly. He had expected his death to be for a plan, for this all to be a purpose. He'd expected for Harry to go as he'd predicted.

But when he saw sharp green eyes watch him die he learned and he knew.

He no longer can watch but he prays. Dumbledore prays for Harry's soul, and even Voldemort's because he _knows_.

.-.

Contrary to many thoughts Voldemort understands. He understands and he knows. He knows all about Harry James Potter. The link allowed him glimpses of the boy and he _knew. _

He knew but there was nothing to do about it he knew and it utterly terrified him. It made him oh so wary, it made him act more arrogant, it made him wait, and it made him pray.

He was already dead. Since learning, he was dead. He knew his demise was fast approaching. And he can understand in a way. Understand why he would be dead and why Harry is.

He lounges in a chair and swirls wine and ponders. He thinks of all his plans and then destroys them because he's already dead His body just doesn't know it.

Voldemort ponders, and watches, and listens, and guards himself, and waits, and prays, and stays silent, and doesn't change.

.-.

Harry likes to smirk when he thinks of it. His smirk quickly turns to a full blown grin that shows far too many teeth to be friendly and innocent.

He doesn't quite understand how they _know_ but he knows all who knows.

And then he likes to laugh when he thinks of all the people who know and how they deal with it. He likes to laugh, laugh, laugh.

He finds it hilarious how his friends are his guards and the neutrals are wary, and his enemies are terrified. He likes how his headmaster prayed, and how his teachers wait, and how some provoke and don't change, and how one prepares for death, and how he just stays silent.

He laughs and laughs and laughs knowing they know what's inside of him. Likes how they know how _dangerous_, how sharp he is. He likes to think of himself as all jagged edges and quick wit. He likes to think of himself as terrifying and powerful.

But he doesn't need to just think it. He _is_ powerful and smart and terrifying. He knows this because he can always feel the power bubbling out of him, almost too much for his mere body to hold. He can feel his mind running through hundreds of thoughts, working things out in a flash. And he knows he's terrifying. How else would he get Nott to cry and beg with barely a glance?

He knows he's all this and more. And he knows his façade has been seen past by a handful of people. But he doesn't worry because _they'll never tell_. Cause if they do they're dead, dead, dead. Stone cold dead with their light fading away.

It's his little secret this terrible, powerful, smart _monster_ inside of him.

So as he kills an almost relieved dark lord and he watches as his headmaster dies and watches how his friends quickly pull him out of public sight so that the sheep don't _notice_.

He watches as the Slytherins stand back out of the way and how the Ravenclaw flits closer before dancing back out of reach before repeating. And he watches as a teacher sighs at his final reaction and then disappears to hide away.

And he laughs and laughs and laughs. He can feel the façade laugh with him and the monster in him cackle. This is his little secret the monster inside of him.

All he does is laugh.

.-.

The End.

Think what you will.

.-.


End file.
